Fiancee Visa evidence: What are the Right Photos?

Proof used for Fiancee Visa evidence typically starts with a few well chosen photographs that show a happy and bona fide couple. Below is my video that explains how to choose the “right” photos, and avoid the “wrong” photos to submit with your Fiancee Visa or Spouse Visa Petition. For forms I-129F and I-130

 

 

In preparing a fiance or spousal visa petition for USCIS it’s important to include some photos that proves that you and your life partner have met each other.

In addition you have the opportunity here to tell the story about your relationship and to to give the impression how sincere your relationship is. So it is important to choose the right photos and that’s what this presentation is all about.

My name is Fred Wahl and i am the Matchmaker and Webmaster at the Heart of Asia Romance Network.

We’ve been online for about fifteen years now and have helped thousands of couples usually from USA to overseas to Asia Pacific find each other and to get married and start families.

Almost everyday i get many phone calls from people advising the of their happiness, their success and asking questions about the Fiancee Visa process. It’s a bit complicated it needs to be done properly the first time. I’ve put together this presentation to help answer a lot of questions up front. I hope you enjoy and good luck in starting this adventure.I am not an attorney. I do not work for the US Government, I you need legal advice, please go to an attorney or to the Government.
What i provide here is practical, useful advice.

A successful visa petition is both art and science. The science is filling the blanks correctly and remembering to attach all of the required documents. The art comes in when you choose evidence to present that will convince even the most unfriendly and skeptical consulor officer that you were a bona fide couple.

One element of the rainbow of evidence sources you have are the photographs that you send in. Imagine this as if you were giving a very short slideshow of holy amended too and you’re using that opportunity to tell your whole story. Choosing the right photos to show to immigration is extremely important. The simple purpose
of the photo is to show that the two of you have met face to face that’s accomplished with one photo, but to demonstrate your bona fide relationship you need to tell a complete story and this is going to be about choosing which photos to tell the story and even more importantly to talk about which photos NOT to share, which would hurt your chances.

It may seem pretty obvious in the photos you send them both you and your fiance should be visible in the photo. Only choose those photos that show positive body language between you and your Fiance.

Look at the couple on the left. They’re both smiling. They’re both leaning towards each other. They are in body contact. They obviously by their body language, by their posture show they are a happy couple. Compare this to the picture on the right, where it looks like they just had an argument.

If you only have tight tonight close-ups on the couple’s faces, the story is very limited. It shows the two of you together but you’ve already said that
a hundred times, so better that you pulled the frame out a little bit. Take the photos at midrange so that we can identify the couple together as WELL as where you were and what you were doing. This shows that you spent time together and most importantly shows that you traveled and you did activities together and you were happy in each others presence
while you were doing it.

Try to go on more trips to visit your fiancee and if possible go at different times of the year is so your photos will reflect different seasons, or the different events or festivals for holidays that are going on so that they will be verry clear when the picture was taken.

Take photos at different times of the day to show that you spent a lot of time together.

Having your camera automatically insert the month day and the year into each photo is the simplest and most effective way to demonstrate when your photos have been taken and that they have been taken over more than one day.

Pick some shots with friends or co-workers. If a couple is genuine one would expect the proud fiancee to show off and introduce her fiance to her friends or co-workers or fellow students.

A group photo at her place of study, work or leisure with her peers is a good choice.

A serious Fiance will meet his new in-laws and especially would want to meet her parents and or family elders to officially ask for her hand.

Photos showing the couple together with her happy and “all on board” family is of value.

Don’t be repetitive. One of my clients keep me twelve pictures of him and his fiancee at a single restaurant. Of course, each one of these pictures was very precious to him and his fiance. He should have saved these for the family album, not used for the purpose of the petition.

One possibly two pictures that tell about a particular moment in your time together is interesting and effective.

The consular officer will be reviewing your petition and then sitting down with your fiance interview her about your relationship. You want to make sure the photos that he sees, keep him friendly, and interested on your side: that he has a positive feeling about you and your fiance.

This person may have strong moral, racial, religious or cultural biases. Be extra careful not to inadvertently offend him. Do not allow any suggestion of sex, NO MATTER HOW SUBTLE, into the photos few you choose. No hugging, no pictures in the bedroom.

Avoid looking like King Kong with a tiny Faye Ray. Organize the photos so that you don’t seem to be overwhelming and overpowering to your Fiancee. Try midrange shots, perhaps with both of you sitting down together so your heads are side by side.

Avoid negative body language shown by the OTHER people in the Photo. I got one photo of a couple with her parents. The couple is smiling, but the parents were scowling. Perhaps that’s the way the parents always look. I will never know, but that particular photo made it appear that the parents were not happy with the engagement. Such a photo should be avoided.

Be sure not to be culturally offensive. I got one photo and the couple were in front of a statue of the character out of her country’s cultural history. The couple were making hand gestures like the character was wearing horns.

Perhaps the consular officer would’ve thought that was funny, like the couple did or perhaps he would have been offended. I would not want to take that chance.

And also don’t cheat.

I’ve seen many photos where people have faked the date stamps on the photos. This will always get caught. Please don’t even attempt this.

Everyone’s case is going to be different, but my imaginary ideal of a timeline of an authentically romantic engagement would be as follows:

My ideal couple has been corresponding for six months or more. The man flies to meet her for the first time. They spend a week getting to know each other. She shows him her country. They are in love. Three to six months later he can’t bear to be apart from her any longer and flies back to her country. He stays longer this time and he meets her family her friends. He gives her her a ring. They are formally engaged. She shows him more of her country and upon his return to the USA he submits the Fiancee Visa petition.

Now the photos I would like to see from the first trip are just simple photos of the couple together, on different days, wearing different clothing in various identifiable locations. From the second trip, somewhat the same idea, again photos of the couple together on different days, different clothing, different locations but also added would be photos with her and her family with their friends, with an engagement party, she wearing the engagement ring.

If you need assistance to prepare your petition come to VisaCoach.com

For do-it- yourselfers, I will review your package and give you my comments before you submit to immigration. and finally also for do-it-yourselfers I have a two e- books one for Fiancee Visa applicants and another for Spousal Visa applicants.

By Fred Wahl